When I'm 64

"A good pair of sunglasses is better than a facelift. It hides the ravages of time and lets you spy on people.'"

Well said Mary! Have you seen these super stylish ladies featured on Refinery 29? Looking fab at age 70. That's how I want to be.

found thanks to Lauren.

Home office additions

I haven't been to Home Goods in forever, but I tell you I lucked out today. I found not one, but TWO things I've been coveting for a while...

No. 1 vintage style coat rack. It was only $29! Much cheaper than the Coming and Going Coat Rack from Urban Outfitters I've been drooling over for months now:

My coat rack doesn't have the umbrella holder, but very similar yes?

No 2. Desk Chair. Not the cheapest item, but chairs are often not. This one was $129. It was worth it for me because unlike other DIY bloggers out there, I have no desire to stalk garage sales & Craig's List for vintage furniture to reupholster. Anyway, how gorgeous is this print?! It reminds me of the patterned chairs I posted last year.

I'm still trying it out before I commit. Like any task chair, you want to make sure it's comfortable for long term sitting.

365 project: 6/20-6/27

Fun mini photo shoot for Darling Loves Dapper.

The carousel dress came out to play at the INO picnic.

Fun frame I spotted while picking up odds & ends at Target.

Browsed the latest issue of REAL SIMPLE and sipping my afternoon vanilla black tea.

Excited to be freelancing. Today I was hard at work writing scripts.

Old favorites are new again.

A lovely lunch date and beer tasting with our friends Mr. & Mrs. Diaz. 

Family visit to The Magic Kingdom. We rode the new Star Tours 3 times! So much fun!

...........................

We're just about at the half-way mark for 2011. Wow. I'm surprised I've been able to keep this up!

Any fellow bloggers out there in the midst of year-long documentation projects? How are you fairing with it? Still enjoying the process or has it become a chore?

Share in the comments below!

Style Parade 6.27.11

Effortlessly chic at The Magic Kingdom.

stripe top, bag: Target
shorts: Express
necklace: H&M
fedora: TJ Maxx
flip flops: American Eagle

Style Parade 6.26.11

Do you like my new halter top? I got it from my old summer wardrobe storage. Not to brag but I have 4 bags of clothes that don't fit in my closet or dresser and sometimes I forget I have them. Outta sight, outta mind, ya know. This top is one of those items. I felt it was time to bring out the summer season items and I felt like I was shopping! I had so much fun going through my older clothes and restyling them with my current wardrobe.

For the record, I'd like to be buried in this necklace. You're probably all sick of seeing it by now, but you can't stop this. I already have plans to wear it tomorrow.

I must apologize for my photos today. Apparently beer tasting followed by the mass consumption of cheese covered authentic mexican food makes for awkward poses and expressions.

Halter: Old Navy

Headscarf: vintage, from my mom :)

Necklace: H&M

Sandals: Candies

For the love of...teacup?!

As I was saying...I'm a klutz. This one made me cry a little.

Hoping that Anthropologie will one day sell numbered teacups again. You hear that? This is an open letter, friends.

When it rains...

It pours! In work that is. haha.

Hey all. Guess what? I've got some freelance jobs lined up- two clients in two days! I'm super excited to be working on creative projects again. It's nice to be your own boss, ya know? Anyway I've been called in mid-project so I'm super busy getting caught up and meeting deadlines. So unfortunately not a whole lot of time left for blogging at the moment, but I promise I won't disappear for too long.

Style Parade 6.21.11

Per request here's some shots of me in the carnival carousel dress. Gosh, I've had this dress for a year and haven't worn it once. Partly because it needed a few alternations. I shortened the back hem 2 inches and shortened the straps a bit. One of them was actually broken when it arrived, but it was the last one they had so I decided to fix myself. I also added a hook to the top of the side zip because the zipper is cheap and kept coming undone. Kind of a lot of alteration for what I paid, but so worth it because this dress is fabulous!

I'm thinking I might have to repeat this look for July 4th. Sparkly nails and all!

Dress: Spotted Moth  Sandals: Payless  Bangles: Forever 21  Necklace: Spooner Z, etsy

Ironically I totally hid behind my husband in this picture. haha. As always we had a wonderful time, eating too much, seeing old friends & going on water slides.

It's a nice day for a picnic

I think the carnival dress will do for this afternoon... Off to the annual INO picnic with my husband. TTFN Ta ta for now.

365 project: 6/12-6/19

Gary's first wine tasting at South Coast Winery. Melinda was ever so helpful in navigating the tasting menu.

Tiny succulent in a vial. A birthday gift.

A cool refreshment after a hard days work.

White grilled cheese.

Picked up some pretty embellishment papers.

Fun with glitter. Tutorial here.

These kids were a crack up with this cupcake pinata. INO-MIS picnic.

Celebrated Father's Day with a BBQ at our place.

Happy Father's Day

image: Ryan Bethke Photography

Thank you for everything you've done and everything you continue to do.

I love you Dad.

Undeniable evidence that I'm a klutz

EXHIBIT A

2008. While en route to the airport after a lovely weekend in the Bay Area my ass collided with the escalator to the underground BART station. A lady rushed by me and somehow my wheeled suitcase pushed into the back of my legs, causing me to fall backwards. At the same time the escalator steps were collapsing down in front of me. The result? Me, falling very, very slowly. I had to roll over and crawl back to retrieve my luggage. Did I mention this was in front of a huge crowd waiting for the next train?

When I finally arrived at the airport, I kept hearing a few snickers behind me. Small children were pointing at my ass. Oh great! What's on my ass?! Headed to the ladies room and saw the evidence. Kind of laughed myself. The treadmark stain was way bigger and darker than this photo I took after I got home. So ridiculous!

EXHIBIT B

This mishap happened while I was ironing in our teeny tiny hallway. Somehow I misjudged my placement of the iron on the board and it did a triple axle backflip onto the baseboard. I gave it a score of 7.2

EXHIBIT C

I'm lucky that Crate & Barrel has open stock on these. I believe this happened while loading it in the dishwasher. I'm thoroughly convinced that every glass has a weak spot and my superpower is knowing where that is and striking it.

EXHIBIT D
2009. If you've been following for a while of course you remember this epic fail from our wedding. I made it all the way through the day, not spilling a thing, despite wearing white, not tripping, etc. I thought it must have been some sort of good luck wedding day miracle mojo. Not one thing...until the very end. Hey, it was dark and I was distracted by all the light. Oooh shiny light... 

He caught my fall before I hit the ground.

Rock Kandy

Happy Wednesday!

While I'm busy painting the banister, have a look-see at my friend Katie's super cute etsy shop -

Rock Kandy. Her designs are nautical-inspired, girly and just plain fun. Here's a couple of my favorites from her shop...

Perfect for summertime right? And while you're at it. Check out her blog too.

kisses,
-Stephanie

Urbanic Summer Social

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of attending the Summer Social, hosted by Urbanic in Venice. Everything was cuteness to the max! My only gripe is that it was super packed, which made browsing the store and mingling a little tricky.

First stop was ice cream from the most adorable little cart. Sweet Lucies is owner-run and their coffee ice cream was sensational.

The patio behind the shop was made pretty by the talented people over at Bash Please and 100 Layer Cake.

Next we shimmied across the patio to Mrs. Lilien's cocktail stand where she graciously served us cups of ice and Mrs. Lemonade. I was very much looking forward to meeting the Mrs. behind the bar. Her blog is one of my daily reads. Panache and rhymes, oh yes.

Thanks Mrs. Lilien, the cocktails were in fact, Boozylicious.

A spot finally opened up at the pinwheel making station inside the store. Smock. provided the simply adorable paper. The finished product can be seen in my latest 365 post, but here's Melinda cutting away at her own.

We finished off the evening with some yummy Italian food & the best garlic knots I've ever tasted!